Chapter 246 245: Investigation

Lin Shishi let out a long breath, a soft moan escaping her lips.

Realizing what she'd done, she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.

The sensation of having something that had been building up for so long finally expelled was just too satisfying.

She couldn't help but cry out, but… 'Will Mu Lin think I'm some kind of indecent girl now?'

Lin Shishi didn't dare to dwell on it.

She just kept her mouth firmly covered, determined not to make another sound.

Mu Lin sank his energy into his Dantian, withdrawing all his True Qi. Then, he said calmly, "You're all right now."

Lin Shishi just wanted to hurry out of the room, not wanting to be alone with Mu Lin for another second.

She just wanted to be alone!

Mu Lin, not understanding what had happened, switched to Hong Rui.

After a similar procedure, Hong Rui also couldn't bring herself to look at Mu Lin and scurried into her room.

「At that moment, in a cave somewhere in Songyang.」

An old man in gray robes's eyes suddenly flashed. He felt his power being fiercely challenged.

He hadn't expected someone to be able to break his technique.

"This poison gas was neutralized twice in less than ten minutes. Who did this?"

"This person's ability is simply heaven-defying. It's hard to imagine just how profound their True Qi must be."

A sharp glint flashed in the old man's eyes. "I have to get that Sword Skill from the Bai Family quickly and then flee far away. Otherwise, I might not be able to defeat him."

This old man was, in fact, the same Elder Pan who had appeared by Su Longfei's side.

He claimed to be a disciple of Dong Wu, but in reality, he was old enough for Dong Wu to call him grandpa.

"This won't do. I have to hurry, or there might be even greater complications. It's no wonder Su Longfei died at that person's hands."

With that, the old man made his decision, transformed into a shadow, and vanished into the mountain forest.

He left not even the slightest trace where he passed.

Mu Lin and Lin Shishi returned to the hotel to rest. Early the next day, they went to Hong Rui's house. They were going to the shopping mall to see if they could find the so-called salesclerk.

Mu Lin wasn't very hopeful. The salesclerk might not even be real, so what could they possibly find out?

But it was hard to say. Even with just a sliver of hope, Mu Lin wouldn't give up. 'We have to get to the bottom of this.'

They arrived at the shopping mall, and Mu Lin had Lin Shishi quickly retrace her steps from the previous day.

"Try to remember exactly where you tried on clothes and had any close contact with a salesclerk."

'How am I supposed to do that?' Lin Shishi thought. But Mu Lin said it was important, so she had to think about it seriously.

She racked her brain for a long time before finally pinpointing a location. With so much at stake, she couldn't afford to be careless.

"I'm not sure, but I remember Hong Rui and I both tried on clothes here. If it happened anywhere, it had to be here!"

Lin Shishi said.

Mu Lin nodded. Since the probability was highest here, they would start by asking around.

"Hello, were you working the shift here yesterday afternoon?"

The salesclerk shook her head. "No, I was off yesterday. The person who was scheduled yesterday called in sick today. Otherwise, she would have been on the morning shift."

'Wow, their scheduling is really something,' Mu Lin thought with a smirk. It was just a shopping mall, yet the staff rotation was so complicated it was almost dizzying.

"Oh, I see," Mu Lin said with a cheerful smile. "Thank you! I need to talk to her about something. Could you help me contact her?"

A troubled look appeared on the salesclerk's face. "I'm sorry, I can't… The company doesn't allow us to keep each other's personal contact information."

Mu Lin never would have expected such a rule. He shook his head.

Lin Shishi said, "Can we see your work schedule, then? I just need to know her name."

Mu Lin asked, puzzled, "And what then? After we have her name?"

Lin Shishi shot Mu Lin a glance. "I can't look her up, but someone can! Brother Mu, you have so many connections, you should learn to use them!"

Mu Lin's eyes widened. 'Damn, she's right.'

"Ah, you're right," Mu Lin nodded slowly.

The salesclerk took out the work schedule for Lin Shishi, who noted down a few names, typed them into her phone, and forwarded them to Mu Lin.

After receiving the names, Mu Lin glanced at them briefly and called Song Chuan.

"Grandmaster Mu, is there something I can do for you?" Song Chuan asked, his voice filled with excitement.

Mu Lin said flatly, "I'm sending you some names. They're all shopping mall employees. I need you to find their home addresses for me. You have half an hour."

"Yes! Yes!" Song Chuan felt his scalp tingle when he heard the request. 'So many names, where am I supposed to even start looking?'

For a moment, he had no idea how to accomplish the task.

But since Grandmaster Mu had given the order, he had no choice but to find a way to get it done.

He contacted the CEO of the shopping mall, who then put him in touch with the HR department. After getting the information from them, he relayed it all back to Mu Lin.

"Grandmaster Mu, I have it. I've sent it to you!"

Mu Lin thanked Song Chuan. "Thank you!"

They rushed over to the address. The door was ajar.

Pushing the door open, they saw a young woman lying weakly on the bed.

The woman's face was haggard, and her listless state reminded Mu Lin of the symptoms of someone who had been under mind control.

It was a perfect match.

Mu Lin stepped forward and called out the salesclerk's name. The woman stirred slightly, but she was too deep in her stupor to respond.

Mu Lin examined her. His expression was grave, but his tone was as calm as ever. "She was under someone's control, and it damaged her foundation. Her Qi and Blood are depleted, making it difficult for her to even move freely."

Lin Shishi looked worried sick. "Is there any way to help her?"

Mu Lin said, "There is a way. We just need to take it slow."

He took out his silver needles and with a casual flick of his wrist, several needles instantly pierced her body.

A moment later, a wisp of green smoke rose from the salesclerk's body, and her unfocused eyes fluttered open.

At least she was awake.

Mu Lin let out a breath and quickly asked, "Hello, how are you feeling now?"

The salesclerk stared blankly at Mu Lin. "Who are you? Why are you in my home?"

She was terrified. Weak and powerless, she had no idea what was going to happen.

Lin Shishi stepped forward to reassure her. "Hi! Please, don't worry. We're not bad people. We were the customers who bought clothes from your counter yesterday. We wanted to find you at the mall, but you weren't there, so we had no choice but to track you down here. We happened to find you in this state and gave you some treatment."

The salesclerk listened to the long explanation but didn't understand much of it, only that Mu Lin had saved her.

"Thank you!"

Then she recognized Lin Shishi and Hong Rui. She had a pretty deep impression of the two sisters.

Mu Lin said, "I'm a healer. Helping people is my calling, so no thanks are necessary. Yesterday, someone controlled you and used your hands to poison these two."

The young woman was completely bewildered. 'What the hell is he talking about? Can I really believe something so outlandish?'

"I don't understand what you're saying. Can you explain?"

Mu Lin smiled. "You'll understand in a moment."

He pricked the woman with another needle, immobilizing her.

"This next part might be quite painful. You have to endure it, understand?"

'A stampede of mythical beasts raged through the woman's mind.' 'What does he mean? What is he doing?'

Mu Lin made a grasping motion with his five fingers, and the silver needles he had inserted earlier flew out.

The woman felt a heart-wrenching, tearing sensation.

The intensity was unbearable.

'What on earth is happening?'

Pain! It felt like her entire body was being torn apart.

And not just into two pieces, but into countless fragments.

It was agonizing.

'Was Mu Lin right after all?'

The pain was so excruciating she wished for death.

Mu Lin had told her to endure it, so she could only hold on until it was over.

After a continuous pulling motion, the needles were extracted. A mass of black gas was drawn out along with them, like a tangle of silken threads.

With a soft POP!, all the black gas was yanked out, coalescing into a single ball.

Then, it tried to float away in a certain direction.

Mu Lin's gaze locked onto it. He had already woven an inescapable net of frigid True Qi. There was no escape.